Enraged

A stick of incense later.

Two Yellow-Robed Men happened to meet on the street.

"Tan Liang, how'd it go on your end?"

Lu Hui asked casually.

"Collected quite a bit—several hundred taels of silver, plus some jewelry and such."

Tan Liang carried bulging bundles in his hands.

"About the same here."

"Once we distribute this wealth, we should be able to draw in plenty more followers."

Lu Hui grinned.

"Mm, let's hand it over to the Sorcerer first."

Tan Liang nodded lightly.

They walked side by side to the residence deep in the alley and pushed open the courtyard gate.

Creak~~~

Like pushing open a ghost's door.

Thud thud~~

Two dull sounds.

Both men's heads were smashed to pulp by a Golden Gourd Great Hammer.

"Not bad, plenty of cash."

Qin Yang glanced at the goods on them and smiled with satisfaction.

He quickly shut the wooden courtyard door again, dragged the two corpses inside, then hid behind the door, waiting for the next lucky soul.

Bang bang bang~~~

The Other Shore Cult probably never imagined someone would be so brazen as to ambush them right at their own stronghold.

Like Calabash Brothers Saving Grandpa, they came one by one.

Every time someone entered, Qin Yang greeted them warmly with his Golden Gourd Hammer.

Heads burst like watermelons.

In a single night, Qin Yang smashed over a dozen skulls.

He collected so much gold, silver, and jewelry that he had to pack it all into one big bundle and carry it on his back.

By the late hours, figuring no one else would show, Qin Yang left the residence.

Same old routine—he went to the North River first, tossed the Golden Gourd Hammer into the current, then returned to Qin Manor.

"Stirring up this much trouble, the Other Shore Cult's bound to be furious."

"But what can they do? They'll never trace it back to me, and that'll keep them wary."

"Who'd think a blade-practitioner like me would kill with a Golden Gourd Hammer?"

Slaughtering so many Other Shore Cult members tonight finally swept away Qin Yang's pent-up gloom, leaving him light and exhilarated.

He unpacked his haul from the bundle.

First, the silver—spendable anywhere, untraceable.

The jewelry and trinkets needed more caution; Qin Yang planned to stash them for a while, then have Li Baling's father handle the sale after the heat died down.

Li Tong ran a gold and silver jewelry shop—perfect for the job.

After the killing, his mind was clear. He didn't bother sleeping, changed out of his Night-Robes, and sat cross-legged to cultivate the Azure Wave Blood Transference Method.

This was just letting off steam.

With his current strength, the Other Shore Cult was still a behemoth he couldn't challenge head-on.

Blood energy slowly circulated through his body, gathering in his kidneys, then surging with the sound of rolling waves.

Wave after wave.

After eight Azure Waves, the motion gradually stilled.

Then, not long after, the room echoed again with the roaring tide, unceasing.

Other Shore Cult stronghold.

Zhou Weichan, powerfully built, bald, with a coiled black tattoo on his scalp, stared at the dozen corpses in the room, his face dark with rage.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He spat out three "goods," but his voice dripped venom.

"Don't let me find you!"

Yesterday's Outer City riot had gone so smoothly—Zhou Weichan had been overjoyed.

But when he arrived at this stronghold after receiving the news, any good mood was gone.

Only rage and venom remained.

He took one look at the corpses' state of death—identical to the bald sorcerer from before.

"You all, step out."

Zhou Weichan said flatly.

Several subordinates cupped their fists in farewell and withdrew, locking the door behind them.

Once the door was locked, the entire room filled with a stench of bloody rot.

If the temperature weren't low right now, the smell would be far worse.

After all, over a dozen corpses with smashed, bloody heads were packed so closely together—impossible not to stink.

Zhou Weichan gazed at Feng Li's corpse, then suddenly pulled out a small knife, severed the head, and wrapped it in cloth.

Only after finishing did he leave the room.

"Clean up the bodies inside, and do it thoroughly."

Zhou Weichan barked.

Several voices answered loudly.

Only then did Zhou Weichan depart, carrying Feng Li's head.

Only one day had passed since the Qing Tian Festival.

But the Outer City, which had endured yesterday's riot, felt like a ghost town.

The streets were littered with trash, and many households had hung white mourning silk, faint sounds of weeping drifting through.

In last night's chaos, many innocent civilians had been caught up and lost their lives.

Such was a chaotic era.

Human life as insignificant as weeds.

Even in broad daylight, pedestrians were scarce; few dared to linger on the streets.

Still, occasionally one could spot some official constables.

It seemed yesterday's riot had finally sparked some attention.

Zhou Weichan knew his appearance was too conspicuous and likely to arouse suspicion, so he wove through alleys.

After crossing several streets, he entered a pharmacy.

Inside the pharmacy, an elderly voice was busy at work, treating many impoverished patients.

That person was none other than the former Shopkeeper of Daliang Pharmacy, Yao Ya.

Yao Ya saw Zhou Weichan and gave a slight nod.

Zhou Weichan acknowledged him in return, then went straight through the back door of the pharmacy into a small room.

Inside the small room.

Faint sandalwood incense burned.

An old man in white robes sat cross-legged, cultivating.

This old man seemed to have a fondness for jade, wearing it all over his body.

A pendant hung from his neck, bracelets circled his wrists, and even his hands rolled two pale white jade spheres.

"Spirit Sorcerer, this is Feng Li's head."

"I want to see who the killer is."

Zhou Weichan said respectfully.

"Set it down." The white-robed old man said flatly.

Zhou Weichan quickly opened the bundle and placed Feng Li's head before the white-robed old man.

The white-robed old man extended a withered hand and struck out like lightning.

Pfft!

Five fingers plunged deep into Feng Li's crown.

After a moment.

The white-robed old man frowned slightly: "I can't see the killer's face—he wore a mask. All I know is his weapon was a Golden Gourd Hammer."

"A Golden Gourd Hammer makes it easier."

"That kind of weapon is rarely used in Linjiang City."

Zhou Weichan said in a low voice.

"Investigate first."

"Also, how many Blood Movers did you kill yesterday?"

The white-robed elder asked.

"Reporting to the Spirit Sorcerer, last night we killed twelve Blood Moving Martial Artists in the Outer City."

"But two of them were strong enough to turn the tables and kill our people."

Zhou Weichan kept his head low, not daring to look at the white-robed elder.

"These men were boosted by secret techniques, inherently weaker than ordinary Blood Moving Martial Artists."

"If the other side caught on, it's only natural they'd be killed in return."

"Now that the Outer City has lost twelve Blood Moving Martial Artists, so much territory has opened up. Without us lifting a finger, they'll tear into each other on their own."

The white-robed elder gave a faint, cold smile.

"All of this was orchestrated by the Spirit Sorcerer."

"I believe it won't be long before Linjiang City falls into our hands."

Zhou Weichan seemed to grow a bit more excited.

"Don't rush."

"The Outer City is in chaos; soon the Inner City will follow."

"Go investigate who killed so many of our people at the stronghold."

"That person may have caught on to something. They can't be left alive."

The white-robed elder's tone turned darker.